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Pacific Notes: Williams, Lakers Free Agency, Clippers Draft, Vezenkov

June 1st, 2023 at 1:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Many owners around the league may not be happy about Monty Williams’ record-breaking contract to coach the Pistons, but Suns owner Mat Ishbia should be pleased. Since there was an offset provision in Williams’ contract, the Suns no longer owe him any money, John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Phoenix tweets.

The Suns owed Williams approximately $21MM for the remaining three years on his deal but the Pistons are paying him far more than that, having reportedly agreed on a six-year, $78.5MM contract.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

  • Bruce Brown, Torrey Craig, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Okogie, Max Strus and Yuta Watanabe are some of the wing options the Lakers might explore with their non-taxpayer mid-level exception, Jovan Buha of The Athletic opines in his latest mailbag. Buha delves into a number of topics, including the possibility of LeBron James choosing to retire.
  • If the Clippers retain their draft picks (No. 30 overall in the first round, No. 48 in the second round), they’ll likely use one of them on a power forward that they can develop, according to Law Murray of The Athletic. The organization hasn’t drafted a true power forward in the first round since 2016.
  • EuroLeague Most Valuable Player Sasha Vezenkov, whose NBA rights are held by the Kings, says he’s ready for new challenges, as Sportando relays. In a Bulgarian TV interview, Vezenkov said, “Nobody knows what will happen in a few years, so I will decide how to proceed when the time comes. We agreed that it would be best to finish the season and then talk. We’ll see if they have a specific offer and what I will decide. I’m ready for new challenges, but as I’ve said before, Athens and Olympiacos are my home and I feel great.” Vezenkov has buyout language in his Olympiacos contract if he wants to sign with Sacramento.
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Rockets Rumors: No. 4 Pick, FA Targets, Coaching Staff, More

May 23rd, 2023 at 9:47am CST by Luke Adams

Multiple teams have already expressed some level of interest in acquiring the Rockets‘ No. 4 overall pick, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

It remains to be seen just how much value that pick will have and whether it would be enough to be the centerpiece of a deal for an impact player, Iko writes. Because the draft is perceived to have a drop-off after No. 3, Houston is also considering whether it would be possible to move up into the top three with a package centered around the Nos. 4 and 20 overall picks, league sources tell Iko.

If the Rockets keep their lottery pick and there are no surprises in the top three, Overtime Elite wing Amen Thompson could be the player atop Houston’s board, according to Iko, who says that several people within the organization are high on Thompson. Iko hears that both Amen and his twin brother Ausar Thompson had positive interviews with the team at last week’s combine.

No matter what happens with the No. 4 pick, the Rockets intend to be aggressive in their pursuit of veterans this offseason, with a desire to improve their play-making, shooting, and defense, Iko adds. League sources tell The Athletic that James Harden is Houston’s top free agent target, with Brook Lopez, Dillon Brooks, Donte DiVincenzo, Jordan Clarkson, Cameron Johnson, and Austin Reaves among the other players the team may pursue.

Acquiring an established point guard will be a primary objective for Houston this summer, per Iko, so if they miss out on Harden, the Rockets could explore a trade for a veteran like Mike Conley or Chris Paul.

Here’s more out of Houston:

  • New Rockets head coach Ime Udoka recently traveled to Los Angeles to visit with Jalen Green, says Iko. That time spent with Green – which included workouts and a dinner – is part of Udoka’s efforts to get to know his new team before the fall. “I’ve gotten the chance to spend a lot of time with the players. Got some lunches, dinner, gym time with guys,” Udoka told Iko. “Also been busy putting together a staff, getting to know everybody, but the most important thing is to spend time with the guys, build a relationship with them, and I’ve done quite a bit of that.”
  • Speaking of Udoka’s staff, Iko reports that assistant coaches Lionel Hollins and Rick Higgins aren’t expected to be back with the Rockets next season. However, it’s unclear whether or not Mahmoud Abdelfattah – another assistant under Stephen Silas – will return. Abdelfattah was part of the Rockets’ contingent at last week’s combine and has frequently been at the club’s facility since the end of the season, sources tell The Athletic.
  • The Rockets could be the long-term winners of the blockbuster trade that sent Harden to Philadelphia and Ben Simmons to Brooklyn, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Houston controls the Nets’ first-round picks from 2024-27 (either outright or via swaps) and may be in position to steal Harden away from the Sixers this offseason.
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Warriors Notes: DiVincenzo, Kuminga, Myers, Green, Thompson

May 13th, 2023 at 10:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

There are questions about whether the Warriors can make it work financially, but Donte DiVincenzo would like to remain with the team, writes C.J. Holmes of The San Francisco Chronicle. Speaking to reporters Saturday, DiVincenzo said he hasn’t decided whether to pick up his $4.7MM player option for next season or decline it and seek a long-term deal, either with Golden State or another team. The Warriors are limited to a new offer starting at $5.4MM, which would be 120% of this year’s salary.

The team signed DiVincenzo last summer to fortify its bench, which was his role for most of the season. He was inserted into the starting lineup during Andrew Wiggins‘ late-season absence, and he started the playoff opener. However, once Wiggins showed he was ready to contribute, DiVincenzo went back to the bench and struggled to find his shooting rhythm for the rest of the postseason.

“What I will say is I absolutely love being a Golden State Warrior,” he said. “The guys in the locker room, the coaching staff, the training staff, from day one, it’s felt like home. … My goal this summer is to just get better. You know, to be able to take a step next year for the Warriors and try to expand even more; to be in a system I’m familiar with and just grow from there and get better as a player and as a man.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

  • A report after Friday’s loss indicated that Jonathan Kuminga‘s representatives might consider seeking a change of scenery for their client this summer, but the second-year forward said his exit interview with management went well, Holmes adds. “(The Warriors are) just happy with the way I have grown,” Kuminga said. “Pretty much they want me to keep adding on what I did this year, keep learning the game and just growing more, figuring out how I can impact even more on winning. And I think that’s been my goal, to just figure out how I can impact on winning.”
  • President of basketball operations Bob Myers plans to take some time to decide on his future, sources tell Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Owner Joe Lacob made several extension offers to Myers during the season that would have given him one of the highest salaries among league executives, along with an option to take some time off if he wanted to, Shelburne’s sources add. Myers’ current contract will expire June 30, and Shelburne hears that he’s not sure if he wants to stay in his job.
  • Myers’ decision may affect the Warriors’ ability to reach extension agreements with Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, Shelburne adds. The organization’s financial status means both players will likely have to accept team-friendly contracts, and Myers is known for his ability to handle those type of delicate negotiations. Green said Myers’ future will definitely be a factor he considers as he weighs his own decision, according to Mark Medina of Sportsnaut.
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Warriors Rumors: Myers, Dunleavy, Kuminga, Poole, Looney

May 13th, 2023 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

While the Warriors have some significant decisions to make on key players this offseason, their most notable free agent might be president of basketball operations Bob Myers, whose contract with the organization expires on June 30.

Warriors owner Joe Lacob has expressed a desire to sign Myers to a new contract and keep him at the top of the team’s front office hierarchy. However, if the veteran executive departs, there’s an expectation that Golden State will replace him with an internal promotion rather than launching a full-fledged search, according to Anthony Slater and Shams Charania of The Athletic, who identify vice president of basketball operations Mike Dunleavy Jr. as Myers’ “natural successor.”

Here’s more on the Warriors’ offseason following their season-ending loss to the Lakers on Friday:

  • The Warriors are expected to have a conversation with Jonathan Kuminga‘s representatives this offseason about the young forward’s future, per Slater and Charania. Kuminga showed promise in his second NBA season, but saw his minutes fluctuate and wasn’t part of the regular rotation in the playoffs. If Kuminga isn’t assured of a full-time role in Golden State going forward, he may prefer to be somewhere he can play more, sources tell The Athletic.
  • Jordan Poole‘s future with the Warriors is very much up in the air following a disappointing postseason, according to Slater and Charania, who suggest that the four-year veteran could be the odd man out if cost cutting is necessary. Poole’s four-year, $123MM extension will go into effect in 2023/24. Tim Kawakami of The Athletic explores the topic in more detail, writing that Poole isn’t necessarily part of Golden State’s core and suggesting that the team will probably explore the trade market for him this summer.
  • As a result of the Warriors’ second-round playoff exit, Kevon Looney missed out on a $1MM bonus and Poole forfeited $500K in bonus money, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Those incentives will now be considered unlikely in 2023/24, slightly reducing both players’ cap charges.
  • Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype and John Hollinger of The Athletic preview the Warriors’ offseason, both noting that the team will be hard-pressed to re-sign key role player Donte DiVincenzo, who is a near lock to decline his player option. The Warriors will only have DiVincenzo’s Non-Bird rights, limiting them to offering a 20% raise on this year’s $4.5MM salary.
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Atlantic Notes: Brunson, Quickley, Raptors, R. Williams, Harris

May 12th, 2023 at 5:59pm CST by Rory Maher

There was a general perception that the Knicks may have overpaid point guard Jalen Brunson last summer when they signed him to a four-year, $104MM contract. Instead, he has been outperforming his nine-figure deal to an extent that’s rare for New York sports stars, according to Howie Kussoy of The New York Post (subscriber link).

Kussoy points to the contracts signed by various players across the four major North American sports leagues as examples, writing that most haven’t lived up to the lofty expectations of their enormous paydays.

Brunson, meanwhile, had an All-Star-caliber debut season with New York and has been the Knicks’ best player in the playoffs, averaging 26.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 steals on .457/.300/.915 shooting through 10 games (39.8 minutes). Kussoy states that Brunson has the “inside track” on becoming the best free agent addition in team history.

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

  • Knicks reserve Immanuel Quickley has been ruled out of Friday’s Game 6 in Miami, head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters, including Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link). The third-year guard is still battling a left ankle sprain and had previously been listed as doubtful. Quickley will miss his third straight game with the injury.
  • The 2023 free agent class isn’t the strongest, particularly the group of players who might be available for the Raptors‘ mid-level exception or less, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic, who lists 25 players Toronto could target. Among the top candidates Koreen considers realistic are Bruce Brown, Donte DiVincenzo, Nickeil Alexander-Walker (for part of the MLE, not full) and Josh Richardson. Brown and DiVincenzo hold team-friendly player options for 2023/24, while Alexander-Walker will be restricted if Minnesota gives him a qualifying offer — only Richardson is an unrestricted free agent at the moment.
  • Celtics guard Marcus Smart was thrilled with head coach Joe Mazzulla‘s adjustment of inserting Robert Williams into the starting lineup for Game 6, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “I was ecstatic about it,” Smart said. “To have Rob in there, he changes the game a lot … that just goes to show you, Joe is learning. Just like all of us. I know he’s been killed a lot. Rightfully so. He needs to make some adjustments, and he did that. And that’s all you can ask for, just continue to be the best he can be. It takes everybody; it’s a full team effort.” Williams recorded 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, and the Celtics were plus-18 in his 28 minutes.
  • It was reported in April that Sixers owner Josh Harris had reached an agreement to buy the NFL’s Washington Commanders. Harris and the team released a joint statement on Friday officially announcing the sale, as Sam Robinson of Pro Football Rumors relays. The agreement still has to be approved by the other NFL owners, but that’s considered a formality.
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Warriors Notes: Poole, Lakers Series, Offseason, Quinones

May 9th, 2023 at 9:19am CST by Luke Adams

After scoring just 11 total points in Games 2 and 3, Warriors guard Jordan Poole had his worst game of the postseason on Monday vs. the Lakers. Playing a season-low 10 minutes, Poole went scoreless on 0-of-4 shooting and committed a pair of turnovers.

As Kerith Burke of NBC Sports Bay Area relays (via Twitter video), Poole was clearly frustrated when reporters approached him after the game and offered only brief responses to their inquiries. He deflected questions about his own play and focused on the fact that the Warriors will get a chance at home on Wednesday to start climbing out of their 3-1 hole.

While Poole isn’t one of Golden State’s superstars and shouldn’t necessarily bear the brunt of the blame for the team’s struggles in the series thus far, his “lack of playoff toughness and lack of interest” in speaking to the media about his performance make it seem like he’s “something less than a full partner in the Warriors’ operation these days,” writes Tim Kawakami of The Athletic. That’s troubling, given that the guard’s four-year, $123MM+ contract extension will go into effect this July.

In explaining his decision to only play Poole for 10 minutes on Monday, head coach Steve Kerr expressed confidence in the 23-year-old’s ability to bounce back later this week.

“It just wasn’t his night,” Kerr said, per Kawakami. “He didn’t have it going. It’s a game where you’re going possession by possession and we had other guys who were playing well. Moses (Moody) came in, did a great job. Donte (DiVincenzo) gave us good minutes. Gary (Payton II) obviously starting the game really gave us a lift. Just we went to other guys. That doesn’t mean Jordan can’t come in and play a big role in Game 5.”

Here’s more on the Dubs:

  • The Warriors have come back from a 3-1 deficit once before in the playoffs with their current core, winning three straight games to steal the Western Conference Finals from the Thunder in 2016. They pointed to that series as one reason why they remain hopeful about their chances against the Lakers, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN.com. “We made history before,” Thompson said. “The goal is to win one at home. We know we are capable of taking care of home court. It’s about staying present and not looking ahead. It’s fun to reflect on the past and learn from it and take that same competitive energy that brought us back in the past to today.”
  • There’s more at stake for the Warriors in this series than just the possible end of their season, notes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. President of basketball operations Bob Myers is on an expiring deal, Draymond Green holds a player option for 2023/24, and Klay Thompson is eligible for an offseason extension at the same time that the NBA is introducing a Collective Bargaining Agreement that introduces new limitations on the teams with the highest payrolls. In other words, a second-round exit could be the beginning of the end of Golden State’s dynasty, as the team faces an uncertain offseason.
  • Having finished the season on a two-way contract, Warriors guard Lester Quinones has been ineligible to play for the team in the playoffs, but he’s thrilled with how 2022/23 played out, as he tells Joe DiProsperos of NBAGLeague.com. He was named the G League’s Most Improved Player and appeared in his first NBA game for the team he grew up rooting for. “To get (to the NBA) and be on the same team that I grew up watching my whole life, it’s just a blessing,” said Quinones, who will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.
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Warriors Notes: Kuminga, Fifth Starter, Bounce Back, Road Woes

May 8th, 2023 at 6:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

It’s time for Warriors coach Steve Kerr to let Jonathan Kuminga out of the doghouse, Dieter Kurtenbach of the San Jose Mercury News opines. Kurtenbach argues that Kuminga could provide much-needed size and athleticism against Lakers star big man Anthony Davis.

Kuminga didn’t play in Game 1 of the second-round series and only played a combined 19 minutes in the past two games, but he has looked pretty good in garbage time during those minutes, Kurtenbach adds.

We have more on the Warriors:

  • Kuminga is one of a handful of options for Game 4, according to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic. Golden State could also look at a small lineup with either Jordan Poole, Donte DiVincenzo, Gary Payton II or Moses Moody filling the fifth slot.
  • The Warriors didn’t seem worried after getting blown out by the Lakers in Game 3 and with good reason, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic notes. The last eight times they have suffered lopsided defeats in the postseason, they’ve won the next game. That includes their Game 7 victory against the Kings in this year’s playoffs s after losing Game 6 at home by 19 points.
  • On the flip side, the Lakers’ home court has become a house of horrors for the Warriors, Thompson writes in a separate story. Game 3 was their fourth consecutive road loss to the Lakers and sixth in the last eight meetings. The last time they beat the Lakers on their home floor was in the 2021/22 season opener.
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Central Notes: Bucks, Cavaliers, Brooks, Vucevic

May 6th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Since the Bucks dismissed Mike Budenholzer on Thursday, we haven’t heard much about which head coaching candidates the team may be eyeing to replace him. Appearing on ESPN’s NBA Countdown on Friday (YouTube video link), Adrian Wojnarowski said he thinks Milwaukee can afford to be patient and perhaps wait for more teams to be eliminated from the playoffs in case a veteran coach employed by one of those clubs becomes available.

“Is there a coach or two who either becomes free with the team they’re at or there’s a conversation to be had with a team about a potential coach?” Wojnarowski said. “Because this is a Bucks team with Giannis Antetokounmpo, it’s an incredibly attractive job.”

It’s unclear which coaches Wojnarowski might be referring to. There was some speculation entering the postseason that Nuggets coach Michael Malone could be on the hot seat if Denver exited the playoffs quickly, but Malone’s club has looked pretty good so far.

Here’s more from around the Central:

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Pacific Notes: Warriors, Green, Sabonis, Clippers

April 29th, 2023 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The player development effort that the Warriors launched four years ago didn’t offer much help in Game 6, leaving them in a must-win situation Sunday in Sacramento, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.

Thompson notes that Golden State has already given up on the two-timeline plan that was supposed to enable the team to remain title contenders without heavy minutes from the veteran core. He adds that seven veterans are likely to see the bulk of the playing time on Sunday, but the team could use a contribution from at least one of its young players.

Thompson points to a decision the Warriors made to focus on young talent after losing in the 2019 NBA Finals. They’ve had five first-round picks since then — and 11 draft choices overall — and they’ve hired five coaches to handle player development, but the payoff wasn’t there when they needed it most. Thompson notes that Jordan Poole had a terrible game on Friday, Gary Payton II played less than 11 minutes and Jonathan Kuminga was barely used at all. James Wiseman, the other hoped-for gem of the development program, was traded to the Pistons in February.

The Warriors’ offseason moves haven’t worked out either, Thompson adds, creating the need for a young player or two to step up. He states that Donte DiVincenzo hasn’t matched his regular season production in the playoffs, JaMychal Green doesn’t have a rotation role and coach Steve Kerr doesn’t seem to trust Anthony Lamb, whose two-way contract was converted to a standard deal so he could be playoff-eligible.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • Warriors forward Draymond Green often finds himself cast as an antagonist, but it’s not a role he seeks out, per Ron Kroichick of The San Francisco Chronicle. “I just be myself,” he said after Game 5. “I don’t go chasing after some villain title. Being the villain is no fun, it’s not enjoyable. But I’m also never ducking any smoke, whether that’s with a player or a fan or a fan base.”
  • Kings center Domantas Sabonis doesn’t expect to be hampered by a left eye injury he suffered when he was hit by Kevon Looney during a jump ball on Friday night. Sabonis displayed the damage during a session with reporters at Saturday’s practice (video link from James Ham of ESPN 1320). He said there’s no damage to the orbital bone, but there’s not a treatment that can improve the eye before Sunday’s game.
  • Following their first-round playoff exit, the Clippers have to decide whether they want to shake up their roster again just months after trading Reggie Jackson, John Wall and Luke Kennard, notes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register.
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Warriors Notes: Green, Myers, Rotation, Wiggins

March 29th, 2023 at 7:54am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors forward Draymond Green received his 17th technical foul of the season on Tuesday vs. New Orleans, meaning he’ll be subject to another automatic one-game suspension if it’s not rescinded and he earns one more technical before the team’s finale on April 9.

While he believes Tuesday’s tech should be rescinded, Green also expressed no regrets about the confrontation with Brandon Ingram that led to it (Twitter video link), referring to it as a spark for the team, as Kendra Andrews of ESPN writes. At the time that Ingram and Green were assessed double T’s in the second quarter, the Warriors trailed by nine points. They eventually won by 11.

“It was perfect. Perfectly executed,” Green said. “We looked dead those first 18 minutes. We had to find some energy somewhere. It wasn’t just going to come, especially after losing the game like we did last game; that can carry over. I felt like it did. I knew we had to do something and do it fast before the game got out of hand.”

Head coach Steve Kerr didn’t disagree with Green’s assessment, crediting the veteran’s energy for keying the comeback win.

“Draymond willed us to victory tonight,” Kerr told reporters. “Just the intensity, the frustration early with the way we were playing. Mad at the world, yelling at everybody — their bench, our bench, me — and frankly, we deserved it.”

Here’s more on the Warriors:

  • Green and Stephen Curry, who have heaped praise on Bob Myers in the past, once again expressed admiration for the Warriors’ president of basketball operations on Tuesday after Myers helped calm Green down after he received his fifth personal foul in the fourth quarter (Twitter video link). “Y’all don’t always get to see Bob’s work, other than putting the team together. But he’s so important to everything that we do,” Green said, per Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. “… GMs don’t keep a pulse on the team like Bob keeps a pulse of this team. Maybe two other GMs in the league right there would come down to the bench and say something. And that’s also someone who I have the utmost respect for. If Bob comes and tells me something, that’s Bible to me. I’m going to listen to that.”
  • Gary Payton II‘s return to action this week has rotation ramifications for the Warriors, observes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Moses Moody will likely be one player affected — he logged just three total minutes in Payton’s first two games back. Anthony Lamb, Donte DiVincenzo, and Jonathan Kuminga are among the other players whose minutes could dip slightly with Payton back, Slater adds.
  • Andrew Wiggins remains away from the Warriors, having missed a 20th straight game on Tuesday as he deals with a personal matter. However, the idea of ruling him out for the rest of the season “hasn’t been discussed,” Kerr said on Tuesday (all Twitter links via Slater). Kerr, who expressed hope that Wiggins will return this spring, also noted that the veteran forward has been working out every day during his absence.
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